why myspace is fading

The media have begun to realize what I have noticed for the last few years: that myspace seems to be fading as a trendy site. Media critics are quick to point out that Facebook is a classier, trendier social networking site. However, I don't believe that Facebook is the chief reason for the fall of Myspace.

Instead, I think it has to do with a process that has occured on the internet. Things begin with a small group of geeks and they grow trendy. By nature of its small size, a site has to appeal to a broad audience. Over time, as it grows more popular, the site will add new features. In the case of Myspace, there's the addition of videos, music, comedy and discussion boards.

The problem is that people go to sites like myspace for community. Community, by its nature is small. So what happens is people begin to move from broadcasting to narrow-casting. This was true of discussion boards and chat rooms of the nineties. In addition, one-size-fits-all sites become dull and dreary for people conditioned to surf. Thus, Yahoo! slipped in the early 2000's because they assumed people would want to be on one "channel" the whole time. They gambled on the notion of broadcasting and it backfired. Rememer America Online? I can't think of anyone who goes there anymore.

This is why Google is so smart. Blogger looks and feels different from Google Docs, which feels different from Google Groups and from the Google Search Engine and from YouTube. Although it's possible to go cross-platform with Google (to write a blog in Google Docs, for example) they still feel like separate sites.

So, what's the future of social networking? My guess is that sites like Ning will become popular - where particular sub-cultures will have a chance to create their own social networking sites, customized to their own taste. I also imagine that sites which help organize blogs will become more popular (think Technorati). In a sense, social networks already exist on blogs in a more authentic way (linking other blogs, writing comments on one another's blogs, for example).

My guess is we'll see an increase in popularity with sites like Teacher Lingo, which combines blogging and social networking yet keeps the focus on one particular sub-culture.